Articles by Robert Albanese

Whether speaking about a sales person, a manager or a company leader, the ability to embrace change is the primary personality trait for those individuals who maintain a ‘hip’ and progressive persona in our business. This is not a new idea by any stretch of the imagination, but remains something that is easier said than done.  The successful agent understands that as customer needs and wants evolve, so must our business vocabulary. Even more, the most successful agents that I have met actually learn to enjoy the changing business environment.

Just take a moment and consider all of the changes that have occurred over the past 10 years alone. In 1998, many agents did not have presentable Web sites or even effectively used e-mail as a communication tool. As time passed however, sales professionals learned to use technology in building and managing their businesses and navigated the advent of VOWs and IDX solutions. Brokers and agents have witnessed the transformation of marketing and advertising from sole focus on newspapers to a primary focus on Internet environments, as well as countless other key changes too numerous to mention here. Now, prospecting and social networking are coming together as building blocks to enlarge an agent’s sphere of influence.

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Posted By Bob Albanese 

In this time of almost apocalyptic change on the consumer side of our business, evolution must also continue in the area of business consulting and service support from a B2B perspective. It seems to me that the very word “consulting” is being associated with a more generalist type of role rather than one of a serious business-development function. Innovation in producing creative financial reporting structures, business analytics, menus of strategic services, and competitive analyses is needed in order to help real estate brokerages thrive and expand their each.

Over the past nine years, I have been in the enviable position of having conversations with principals from many real estate organizations across the United States and Canada. Meetings would often lead to points regarding the support required in order to remain competitive through market changes. The results of those conversations can be summed up in the following four key observations: Read the rest of this entry »

Hello everyone,

My name is Bob Albanese and I will be a regular blog contributor. I have been in the real estate industry for 22 years and have seen this industry from every vantage point. Whether as a top regional salesperson (1986-1990), award-winning Broker/Manager (three locations, 1990-1999) for Weichert Realtors or as Director (1999-2006) and later Vice President (2006-2008) for The Prudential Real Estate Business Consulting Team, real estate has been my singular focus.

I joined the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate team on April 24^th, 2008, and the pace has been fast and furious ever since, which is exactly how I like it to be. Many things about launching this new iteration of the brand inspire me, but I think that the most fascinating aspect of this endeavor is the ability to at once re-launch such a well-respected brand name, while at the same time having the ability to align that brand with today’s sensibilities and critical 21^st century business requirements. The brand’s effort is unique in this respect and I believe that time will prove our new model to be perfectly suited for ongoing success in our industry.

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